Resource Type

Deaf Smith County Schools: 1893-2003 (open access)

Deaf Smith County Schools: 1893-2003

This paper gives a timeline of the history Deaf Smith County Schools starting in 1893. The timeline includes dates, names, and locations of schools.
Date: July 2, 2003
Creator: Waters, Carolyn
System: The Portal to Texas History
[Hereford District School Histories] (open access)

[Hereford District School Histories]

This paper gives a brief history of Hereford High School, Stanton Junior High, the Pre-K and Central Office Annex, and the Stanton Learning Center in Hereford, Texas.
Date: November 2003
Creator: Waters, Carolyn
System: The Portal to Texas History
Effective Sea System and Case Studies (open access)

Effective Sea System and Case Studies

This report describes SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment), and case studies demonstrating the merits of SEA in Europe and North America. The report is aimed at helping readers understanding and implementing SEA.
Date: June 2003
Creator: Hayashi, Kiichiro; Sadler, Barry; Verheem, Rob; Dusik, Jiri & Tomlinson, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library
Remarks by Administrator O'Keefe at the Earth Observation Summit (open access)

Remarks by Administrator O'Keefe at the Earth Observation Summit

Remarks by NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe at the 2003 Earth Observation Summit in Washington, DC. The purpose of the summit was to promote the development of a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained Earth observation system or systems among governments and the international community to understand and address global environmental and economic challenges, and also to begin a process to develop a conceptual framework and implementation plan for building this integrated Earth observation system. When the space age dawned it was clear that the ability to propel robotic spacecraft and humans beyond the gravity of our home planet would open up untold avenues of exploration and discovery throughout the Solar System and beyond. What was not understood at the time was how comprehensive observations of the Earth system from space would lead to a significant new field of scientific inquiry.
Date: July 31, 2003
Creator: O'Keefe, Sean
System: The UNT Digital Library
The ozone hole (open access)

The ozone hole

Discovery of the hole in the ozone layer showed that human activity can have major, and often unexpected impacts on the planet. The destruction of ozone in the stratosphere high above the planet's surface has been brought about as the result of the widespread use of chemicals which under normal conditions are chemically inert and harmless
Date: 2003
Creator: British Antactic Survey
System: The UNT Digital Library
Marine Ecosystems and Global Change (open access)

Marine Ecosystems and Global Change

The ocean is a vital component of the metabolism of the Earth and plays a key role in global change. In fact, the oceans cover so much of the Earth's surface that our planet has been described as the Water Planet, and it could be argued that its most extensive ecosystems are marine. Marine ecosystems are inextricably involved in the physical, chemical, biological and societal processes of global change. It is impossible to describe and understand the Earth system without understanding the ocean, the special characteristics of the environment that it provides for life, the changes that it is undergoing and the manner in which these changes interact with the total Earth System. Understanding the functioning of marine ecosystems and how they respond to global change is also essential in order to effectively manage global marine living resources, such as fisheries. The GLOBEC project is an international response to the need to understand how global change will affect the abundance, diversity and productivity of marine populations, from zooplankton to fish, that comprise a major component of oceanic ecosystems. GLOBEC's goal is to advance our understanding of the structure and functioning of such ecosystems, their major subsystems, and responses to physical …
Date: 2003
Creator: Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics Project (GLOBEC)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessment of Knowledge on Impacts of Climate Change - Contribution to the Specification of Art. 2 of the UNFCCC: Impacts on Ecosystems, Food Production, Water and Socio-economic Systems (open access)

Assessment of Knowledge on Impacts of Climate Change - Contribution to the Specification of Art. 2 of the UNFCCC: Impacts on Ecosystems, Food Production, Water and Socio-economic Systems

The purpose of this report is to compile and summarise the present knowledge on impacts of climate change as a basis for a consideration of what may constitute dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system under Article 2 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). An attempt will be made to associate projected global mean surface temperature and/or sea level changes with specific identified impacts and effects in order to assist a discussion on the operationalization of Article 2. The main emphasis will be on ecosystem effects, food production, water resources, and sustainable development.
Date: November 2003
Creator: Hare, William
System: The UNT Digital Library
NOAA Reports Potent Greenhouse Gas Levels Off (open access)

NOAA Reports Potent Greenhouse Gas Levels Off

This document provides a summary of a study by NOAA researchers and National Institute for Space Research in the Netherlands. According to the study, one of the atmosphere's most potent greenhouse gases, methane, may now have leveled off. Scientists aren't sure yet if this "leveling off" is just a temporary pause in two centuries of increase or a new state of equilibrium.
Date: November 17, 2003
Creator: NOAA News Online
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Sequestration - Field Hearing (open access)

Carbon Sequestration - Field Hearing

This brief document contains remarks by Dr. James Mahoney to the U.S Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Date: June 6, 2003
Creator: Mahoney, James R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Declaration of the Earth Observation Summit (open access)

Declaration of the Earth Observation Summit

This single page document is a declaration of the participants of the Earth Observation Summit held in Washington DC, adopted on July 31, 2003. An affirmation for the need for timely, quality, long-term, global information as a basis for sound decision making. Also establishes an ad hoc Group on Earth Observations aimed at developing a global observing strategy.
Date: July 31, 2003
Creator: [Earth Observation Summit]
System: The UNT Digital Library
Planning Climate and Global Change Research: A Review of the Draft U.S. Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan (open access)

Planning Climate and Global Change Research: A Review of the Draft U.S. Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan

A draft strategic plan for the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) was released to the scientific community and the public in November 2002. At the request of the CCSP, the National Academies formed a committee to review this draft strategic plan; the results of this review are reported herein.
Date: 2003
Creator: Committee to Review the U.S. Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Carbon Project: The Science Framework and Implementation (open access)

Global Carbon Project: The Science Framework and Implementation

Carbon cycle research is often carried out in isolation from research on energy systems and normally focuses only on the biophysical patterns and processes of carbon sources and sinks. The Global Carbon Project represents a significant advance beyond the status quo in several important ways. First, the problem is conceptualised from the outset as one involving fully integrated human and natural components; the emphasis is on the carbon-climate-human system (fossil-fuel based energy systems + biophysical carbon cycle + physical climate system) and not simply on the biophysical carbon cycle alone. Secondly, the development of new methodologies for analysing and modelling the integrated carbon cycle is a central feature of the project. Thirdly, the project provides an internally consistent framework for the coordination and integration of the many national and regional carbon cycle research programmes that are being established around the world. Fourthly, the project addresses questions of direct policy relevance, such as the management strategies and sustainable regional development pathways required to achieve stabilisation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Finally, the Global Carbon Project goes beyond the traditional set of stakeholders for a global change research project by seeking to engage the industrial and energy sectors as well as …
Date: 2003
Creator: Global Carbon Project
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Monoxide from California Fires (open access)

Carbon Monoxide from California Fires

Large fires can be blamed for some polluted air. In addition to ash and smoke, fires release carbon monoxide into the atmosphere as they burn. This false-color image shows the atmospheric column of carbon monoxide, with yellow and red indicating high levels of pollution. (The gray areas show where no data were taken, likely due to cloud cover.) The data were taken by the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite for the period October 26-31, 2003.
Date: November 4, 2003
Creator: NASA Earth Observatory
System: The UNT Digital Library
Antarctic fact-file (open access)

Antarctic fact-file

Antarctica is a continent for science. All countries working in Antarctica carry out scientific research, in a surprising range of physical and biological sciences, from the vastness of space to the minute scale of micro-organisms. Activities are regulated by the Antarctic Treaty, which has been in force since 1959 and is signed by all countries operating there. The Treaty reserves the continent for peaceful purposes, and all military and industrial activities are banned.
Date: 2003
Creator: British Antactic Survey
System: The UNT Digital Library
Climate change (open access)

Climate change

The Earth's climate has not been constant over geological time. This record is contained in ice, which has built up as snowfall accumulated in distinct yearly layers. Pockets of air trapped between the snow crystals contain traces of past atmospheres, which in turn tell us about the climate at the time the snow formed. Glaciologists collect this record by drilling ice cores and then use sensitive chemical techniques to analyse the layers.
Date: 2003
Creator: British Antactic Survey
System: The UNT Digital Library
Understanding ecosystems (open access)

Understanding ecosystems

Plants and animals live in environments which change over different periods of time. Some changes happen each year with the seasons, whilst others take hundreds or even millions of years. As these changes occur, living organisms respond in different ways. To cope with the changing seasons, individuals can change their physiology or behaviour, for instance by hibernating or migration. In response to longer-scale change, species may adapt through evolutionary change. If they cannot, they must either move away or become extinct.
Date: 2003
Creator: British Antactic Survey
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public (Federal, State, Local) And Industrial Development Of Strategies And Plans To Effectively Respond To Weather Information: Position Papers (open access)

Public (Federal, State, Local) And Industrial Development Of Strategies And Plans To Effectively Respond To Weather Information: Position Papers

This document contains positions papers of a policy forum for weather and highways developed by the Atmospheric Policy Program American Meteorological Society in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with additional support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). In this document (Panel 2), panelists discuss strategies to respond to weather and climate information. There are many opportunities to improve the highway system through an inclusive approach, taking into account the strengths of the research community, the private sector and the state and federal practitioners. As a first step, the weather community must better understand the mission and expectations of the highway manager and the highway manager must be able to understand the limitations and near term improvements of the weather community.
Date: November 4, 2003
Creator: Atmospheric Policy Program American Meteorological Society
System: The UNT Digital Library
Policy Issues In Implementing Effective Application Of Weather Services To The Management Of The Nation's Highway System: Position Papers (open access)

Policy Issues In Implementing Effective Application Of Weather Services To The Management Of The Nation's Highway System: Position Papers

This document contains positions papers of a policy forum for weather and highways developed by the Atmospheric Policy Program American Meteorological Society in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) with additional support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). In this document (Panel 3), panelists discuss policy issues affecting the use of weather information in managing the U.S. Highway System.
Date: November 4, 2003
Creator: Atmospheric Policy Program American Meteorological Society
System: The UNT Digital Library
Climate Change Science Program Overview and Management (open access)

Climate Change Science Program Overview and Management

This program identifies the following criteria of interest: scientific or technical quality; relevance to reducing uncertainties and improving decision support tools; track record of consistently good past performance and identified metrics for evaluating future progress; and cost and value.
Date: December 11, 2003
Creator: Climate Change Science Program (U.S.)
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Climate Change Science Program Vision for the Program and Highlights of the Scientific Strategic Plan (open access)

The U.S. Climate Change Science Program Vision for the Program and Highlights of the Scientific Strategic Plan

The vision document provides an overview of the Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) long-term strategic plan to enhance scientific understanding of global climate change.This document is a companion to the comprehensive Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program.
Date: July 2003
Creator: Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research
System: The UNT Digital Library
Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (open access)

Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program

This strategic plan has been prepared by the 13 federal agencies participating in the CCSP, with coordination by the CCSP staff under the leadership of Dr. Richard H. Moss. This strategic plan responds to the President's direction that climate change research activities be accelerated to provide the best possible scientific information to support public discussion and decision-making on climate-related issues.The plan also responds to Section 104 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, which mandates the development and periodic updating of a long-term national global change research plan coordinated through the National Science and Technology Council.This is the first comprehensive update of a strategic plan for U.S. global change and climate change research since the original plan for the U.S. Global Change Research Program was adopted at the inception of the program in 1989.
Date: July 2003
Creator: Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research
System: The UNT Digital Library
Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan Executive Summary: Building a Course for Greater Climate Understanding (open access)

Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan Executive Summary: Building a Course for Greater Climate Understanding

This document describes a research strategy for developing improved knowledge of climate variability and change and the potential impacts on the environment and on human lives. It also provides for the development of resources and tools that will empower policy-makers with the knowledge necessary for making decisions.
Date: July 2003
Creator: Climate Change Science Program
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fiscal Year 2005- 2006 Accelerated Research on Global Climate Observations Fact Sheet (open access)

Fiscal Year 2005- 2006 Accelerated Research on Global Climate Observations Fact Sheet

Coincident with the release of the Climate Change Science Program strategic plan, the Administration announces plans for the acceleration of select high priority research projects and climate observations. These activities contribute to filling critical knowledge gaps identified in the plan (aerosols, oceans and the natural carbon cycle). The selected investments have been coordinated among the agencies to maximize the overall impact. Funding will be reallocated from lower priority areas to enable these critical investments.
Date: 2003
Creator: Climate Change Science Program
System: The UNT Digital Library
Report of the Nineteenth Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (open access)

Report of the Nineteenth Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Different speakers addressed the Panel. Among other decisions of the Nineteenth Session of the IPCC: the Panel decided that well before the next round of elections the Chair would bring to the Panel a proposal describing the rules and procedures to be adopted by the IPCC when conducting elections. The Panel also decided on the terms of reference, draft table of content and draft workplan for developing definitions for degradation of forest and devegetation of other vegetation types, and methodological options to inventory and report on emissions resulting from these activities.
Date: February 2003
Creator: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
System: The UNT Digital Library